NEW DELHI: India has established 132 Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants with a total production capacity of 920 tonnes per day (TPD) as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance renewable energy infrastructure, said Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri on X. The government is currently expanding this capacity through the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative.
“What was once waste is now powering progress. India has 132 Compressed Bio Gas plants producing 920 TPD today, with more capacity coming up under SATAT. Turning farm and organic waste into clean fuel boosts rural income and lowers emissions under the leadership of PM @narendramodi,” the Minister said.
SATAT was launched on 1st October 2018, aiming to establish an ecosystem for the production of CBG from various waste/biomass sources in the country. Under SATAT, Oil and Gas Marketing Companies, IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, GAIL and IGL have invited Expression of Interest (EoI) to procure CBG from potential entrepreneurs for further marketing.
Earlier in December 2025, India marked another transformative milestone in its energy sector by offering 50 new exploration and production (E&P) blocks across oil, gas and coal bed methane (CBM) assets, signalling a renewed push to unlock domestic hydrocarbon potential and strengthen energy security, said Hardeep Singh Puri. In a social media post on X, Minister Puri said the move reflected a “transformative milestone” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and underscores India’s openness to global and domestic investors.
“We are offering 50 new E&P blocks across Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP X): 25 blocks, and Discovered Small Field (DSF IV): 55 fields across 9 contract areas/blocks,” the Petroleum Minister said in his post. Special CBM Bid Rounds 2025 and 2026 include 3 blocks (2025) and 13 blocks (2026).
Under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy, 25 blocks covering about 1.83 lakh square kilometres are on offer, comprising six onland blocks, six in shallow water, one deepwater block and 12 ultra-deepwater blocks. Main features include exploration rights retained throughout the contract duration, revenue share at LRP for initial 5-7 years in Cat-I basins, and no revenue sharing in Cat-II/III until windfall gains.
In parallel, the Discovered Small Field (DSF) Bid Round-IV includes 55 discoveries aimed at accelerating the journey from discovery to production. Additional incentives include zero royalty for the first seven years in deepwater areas and full marketing freedom. Similar flexibility applies to the CBM rounds, with full pricing freedom and no overlap with coal blocks or mines.
The Minister further highlighted that India introduces a unified regulatory framework enabled by the historic Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025, which delinks petroleum operations from mining, and the PNG Rules 2025.
